Elevator-equipped transport vehicle



United States Patent Patented Delhi. Intel! l7 SW I!!! St. Seattle,Wlillillltflh 98146 7 143.369

J y 1968 Nov. 10, I970 Inventor Appl. No Filed ELEVATOR-EQUIPPEDTRANSPORT VEHICLE 3 Chill, 5 Drawing Figs. 1

US. Cl. .1 214/75,

214/l6.4 Int. Cl. 860p 1 44 Fmd rsemh... 214/75,

[56] References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS 842.l32 2/l939 France 2l4/75(T)UX515.680 2/1955 ltaly 214/75(T)UX 520,885 3/1955 ltaly.....v 2l4/75(T)UX364,222 10/1962 Switzerland 214/75(.T)UX

Primary Examiner- Gerald M. Forlenze Assistant Examiner-Raymond B.Johnson Attorney-Ford E. Smith ABSTRACT: A transport vehicle is providedwith suspended elevator means adapted to receive and vertically move,between the ground and multiple levels on or above the vehicle bedwheeled racks containing cargo units.

"Patented my. 10,1970 3,539,060

if i

,4 r ram/5V ELEVATOR-EQUIPPED TRANSPORT VEHICLE SUMMARY A vehicle havinga load-carrying bed is provided with overhead structure including a beamprotruding beyond an edge of the bed. An inverted yoke is raised andlowered relative the vehicle bed beneath the beam by means of a cablewhich passes over a guide on the beam to reversible power operated winchmeans. Guide means between the yoke and the vehicle bed insure vertical,nonswaying movement. The yoke is adapted at its depending ends toreceive and support a wheeled rack containing cargo units. The vehicleoverhead structure, in those cases where the wheeled racks are the sizeto be tiered, is provided with spaced-apart ways to receive and supportthe racks. This invention is here disclosed with specific application totransport vehicles as used by nurserymen and as to its utility in thetransport of nurserymens flats. It is contemplated that other specificuses will be apparent.

' DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the rear portion of atransport vehicle having the invention incorporated;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of the essential elements of theelevator means in association with the rear of a transport vehicle;

FIG. 3 is a section taken in line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a detailed sectional view; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary detailed view showing a portion of a wheeledrack in supported position relative the sidewall of the vehicle.

DESCRIPTION Transport vehicle body 10, supported on wheels 12, hassidewalls l4, l4 and overhead structure 16 which includes a beam 18overhanging the edge of truck bed 20. Beam l8 supports a guide sheave 22over which passes hoisting line 24 that enters body through opening 26and passes to winch 28, preferably supported by structure 29 under theroof of truck body 10 near its rear. Desirably, winch 28 is operated byan electric motor which may be remotely controlled by an operatormanipulating switch in controller 30 on cable 32.

A yoke comprising crossmember 36 having legs 38 depending therefrom isintermediate its ends connected by a loop 40,

' clevis 42, to cable 24. At the lower end of each leg 38 is an angleiron foot member 44 which receives and, during vertical movement,supports a wheeled cart 70. Load-carrying member 44 has a downturned lip46 forming a ramp useful when a cart is rolled into place on anopposedpair of foot members 44. The casters 48 on the cart 70 are smoothlyguided into position by side flanges on the foot members 44, each ofwhich has a hole 50 into which a caster wheel may drop or be engaged toprevent unintentional dislodgement of the cart. The foot members 44 areattached to legs 38 in such manner that the yoke is balanced.

At or near the upper end of each leg 38 of the yoke is a cross member 52that extends rearward and joins with an upright rail 54 in the mannerbest shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Attached to the rear of each of thesidewalls 14 of the vehicle body 10 is a guideway comprising a pair ofspaced-apart members forming a channel 56 to receive an outstandingflange or rail member 54. Each guideway 56 extends upward from a pointbelow the deck 20, a sufficient distance thereabove to adequately guidevertical travel of the elevator yoke. This structure constitutesinterfitting upright tongue-andgroove means that guide vertical movementof the yoke.

Within the vehicle body 10 are rub rails 60 and a load-supporting way orledge rail 62. A cart 70 is generally right rectangular and has a base72 on the underside corners of which are casters or wheels 48. Base 72has uprights 74 at the comers supporting intermediate shelfs 76 and thetop shelf 78 which receive cargo containers, in this instancecontemplated 14 of body 10 at least equal to the spacing of opposedrails 62.

Their depth in this particular application is slightly more than that ofthe length .of flats 80.

OPERATION When it is desired to load a vehicle body 10, the invertedyoke 36 is lowered to the ground as shown in FIG. 1. A cart 70 iswheeled on to the foot members 44. Thereupon, the operator using thehand control piece 30 activates the motor of winch 28, imparting anupward draft on cable 24. This causes yoke 36 to rise vertically, suchmovement being in a guided manner by reason of coaction between theflanged rail members 54 and the vertical guideways 56 as best seen inFIG. 3. Hoisting is terminated when the yoke has been raised so thatfoot members 44 are aligned either with the bed 20 of body 10 or withledge rails 62 on the body sidewalls. The operator may then roll thecart off the elevator mechanism and transfer it into the vehicle body10. Chocks or wheel blocks (not shown) may be placed to secure the cartin the vehicle during transit. The unloading operation is substantiallythe reverse of the loading procedure described.

A trucker employing a vehicle body equipped as here disclosed willordinarily travel with the elevator mechanism raised substantially toits upper limit in order that there will be no traffic interference byreason of the rearward protruding lifter or foot members 44.

The equipment and apparatus described herein may be subject tovariations and modifications. In order that it be applied to other uses,all such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the scope of thesubjoined claims are contemplated as part of this invention.

I claim:

1. In combination with a vehicle having a horizontal loadcarrying bedsurmounted by peripheral wall structure, the improvement, comprising:

overhead frame structure supported above said bed by said peripheralstructure and including a sheave disposed to overhang the rear edge ofsaid bed;

said peripheral wall structure beneath said overhanging sheave includinga vertical pair of spaced-apart guide rails at the rear edge of said bedequally offset toward the sides with respect to said sheave;

an inverted U-shaped yoke beneath said sheave spaced outward from therear edge of said bed and comprising a crossmember having a legdepending at each end, said yoke including means adjacent said bed edgeguidedly associating the yoke with said guide rails for vertical travelwith respect thereto;

said yoke having foot members providing an opposed pair of I instandingload-carrying ledges each said ledge being located at the lower end of ayoke leg and disposed normal to said bed edge and projecting rearwardlywith rela tion thereto;

winch means on said vehicle including a hoisting line extendingtherefrom over said sheave and connected to the yoke providing means tomove said yoke between a position where said ledges are at ground levelto a position where said ledges align with said bed and'vice versa; and

a load-carrying rack ,to rest on and span between the instandingload-carrying ledges of said yoke.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which the rack is wheeled.

3. The combination of claim 2 in which said ledges are each asnurserymens flats 80 for illustrative purposes. Such flats provided witha depression into which a cart wheel is disposed are usually filled withearth and plants or flowers.

during vertical travel of the yoke.

